Brooklyn Beats
'' '' Founded: 2011 Owner: Sinorice Jackson Placement: Division I Championships: 0 Team OVR: 88 Strength: Dominant Rushing Offense Weakness: Linebackers Head Coach: Eric Turner Captain: FB Kevin Sims-Walker (5th Year) '' ''Brooklyn Beats '' ''The Brooklyn Beats are another one of the founding members of the A11FL, also known as the "Original 6" (Brooklyn, Vancouver, Bay Area, Chicago, Washington and Milwaukee) of the American-11 Football League. The team was founded in 2011 after the state of New York basically decided they didn't have enough football teams as the borough of Brooklyn, New York sent in a 91% approval rating, good for second highest behind Vancouver's 93%. The A11FL website's next update uploaded just three destinations in February of 2011: Vancouver, the Bay Area and Brooklyn, New York. Fans were abuzz that a team was coming to Brooklyn, as although the state of New York had long possessed the New York Giants and Jets along with their only in-state team the Buffalo Bills, the Giants and Jets stadium being in New Jersey was a sore spot for many fans of the two storied franchises . Now, the state of New York would have a team play right in their backyard. Soon after the announcement, former New York Industries CEO and Harlem native Sinorice Jackson stepped forward as the team's minority owner. The team was initially meant to be named the New York Titans, the Jets' previous moniker, but potential legal issues with the Jets and Tennessee Titans caused Jackson to consider other options. After two weeks with no word on their new franchise, Jackson made a major announcement regarding the team name. Due to a partnership with legendary 90s rapper and Beats CEO Andre Young (better known as Dr. Dre), the team would be named the Beats, to represent the city's musical soul and acrimen, as well as a very lucrative deal with the media mogul himself to modify Citi Field in Queens for the A11FL, or the Beats if the league allowed home stadiums in the future. While the stadium, dubbed "Project Beats" was under development, Jackson hired former Syracuse alum and NY Jets' running backs coach Eric Turner as the Beats' first head coach, handing him the keys to one of the league's most valuable teams a full year before their first game. With time to prepare, Turner quickly filled his staff and bega n scouting as much talent as he could to compete early on, as success was necessary to gain as much fanfare as possible. With his NFL connections, Turner was able to sign a number of former NFL starters to short-term deals, including QB Brady Quinn, FB Le'Ron McClain and FS Brandon Meriweather, all veterans Turner figured could at the minimum supply quality coaching to the younger talent the team would bring in within the coming months. By the time the league's first Draft had arrived, Turner felt comfortable with where the Beats were. The Beats were awarded the 9th pick in the draft. And with his roster pretty much secured, Turner took a chance on a hybrid player he'd been studying since his sophomore year. He selected FB Mike Sims-Walker out of Auburn with the 9th pick in the Draft. The few fans that watched the draft on A11FL.com were shocked he'd drafted a FB with his only pick in the draft. But Turner was confident he'd prove the entire league wrong. Three days later, the Beats were revealed to be starting in Division III. As training camp passed, fans of the team began to notice how unique Sims-Walker act ually was due to him playing several different positions including RB and TE, and before long the once joke of a pick had some hype behind him. Things got even stranger when it was reported that the rookie FB had turned down an invitation to attend a Jets minicamp. Both sided denied the rumors. The Brooklyn Beats kicked off their first game at Citi Field in Queens, New York against the Albany Empire. The Beats lost a close game 27-24, and finished the season at 7-8, as the team suffered injuries to both Brady Quinn and Brandon Meriweather during the year. The one standout from their season was FB Kevin Sims-Walker, who not only finished fourth in the league in rushing yards, but was the only Beat named the All-Star team. That offseason, both Brady Quinn and Le'Ron McClain were released, while Brandon Meriweather signed a two-year extension. That offseason, Brooklyn drafted RB Rodney Vargas, another Auburn player to pair with Kevi n. In the Supplemental Round, the team drafted former Jacksonville Jaguars QB David Garrard, and signed Kevin's older brother Mike Sims-Walker to a three year deal after the draft. The next two seasons would see Brooklyn go on an unprecedented run, going 10-5 and winning Division III in 2013, and going 11-3-1 and winning Division II in 2014. Entering 2015, veteran QB David Garrard retired. The Beats signed former Chicago Staggs QB Harris Riley and drafted DT Shaun Anoai in the draft. Despite a strong start, the Beats slowed down towards the end of the season and finished 9-6. They nearly rallied and defeated the Arizona Rattlers in the first round, but ultimately lost in OT 27-21. The Beats are a team built on three principles: run the ball, force turnovers and control the tempo of the game, led by a generational athlete playing a dying position seemingly everywhere else. 'Player Spotlight: Kevin Sims-Walker' Age: 28 Height: 6'2 Weight: 248 lbs. Position: FB A11FL Season: 4 Yrs Captain: 4 Awards: 4x A11FL All-Star (2012 - 2015) From the moment he stepped onto the field for the Auburn Tigers, Kevin Sims-Walker had a chip on his shoulder. A two-star prospect at a position losing it's place within pro football, Kevin committed to the only school he felt still respected the running game: Auburn. In two seasons with the Tigers, he totaled over 1,000 all-purpose yards for an Auburn attack that led the nation. But after a muscle tear in his junior year limited him to just six games, he missed the peak of Auburn's ground assault, as seemingly Auburn's entire backfield was gone, including their head coach. He watched as his role in the offense dimished during his senior year as he struggled to adjust to their more pass-happy offense. With most of his sophomore hype gone and no invite to the NFL Scouting Combine, he registered for the A11FL Draft for an opportunity to showcase his skills and hopefully continue his career. He impressed, ranking near the top of every drill he participated in, ranking him 3rd on Eric Russo's Top 20 Board. But most teams still only looked at him and saw "just a fullback", leading to him sliding to the 9th pick in the draft, where it still surprised many that former NFL coordinator Eric Turner's Brooklyn Beats selected him. Almost immediately, Mike beacme the impact player on a solid Beats team led by veterans Brandon Meriweather and Le'Ron McClain, coming in fourth in the league in rushing yards and making the first ever A11FL All-Star team. The following year, the team drafted RB James Vargas, a close friend of his from Auburn and one of the fastest backs in the class, and added veteran QB David Garrard in the Supplemental Round. With these key additions, the Beats offense, led by Kevin and James became one of the most deadly ground attacks in pro football, even more dangerous than their Auburn days with Garrard and his real-life older brother Mike Sims-Walker adding a whole new dynamic to the offense. The Beats went 24-9-1, and moved from Division III to Division I in just two years. Though the team failed to win the championship after David Garrard retired after the 2014 season, Kevin made his fourth consecutive All-Start game, eclipsing 1,000 yards for the second time in his career. Kevin Sims-Walker possesses a rare combination of agility, power and strength. How long before his unique combination of skills leads Brooklyn to a championship? '''Strengths: '''Above average strength and speed for the position. Exceptional at creating running lanes for the ball carrier. High football IQ. Execellent at carrying the ball. Expert at finding lanes to run through. Expert in short-yardage situations. Incredibly physical player, known for punishing running and blocking style. Incredibly high motor, known for going full throttle on every play. '''Weaknesses: '''Tends to struggle with selling on play action passes or runs, Not a great reciever out of the backfield. Struggles with route running.